Logical Thinking

The ability to think logically, and make informed, rational decisions, is a very important skill to have in life, and improving it can directly enhance ones personal and professional life.

Below is an ever-expanding list of resources that I have found online that can help you to become a better, more logical, and more rational thinker and decision-maker.

Farnam Street Mental Models

Farnam Street ‘helps you master the best of what other people have already figured out. Together we will develop the mental models to understand how the world works, make better decisions, and live a more meaningful life.’

The Mental Models they speak of are a collection of ideas, principles and thinking concepts that help you to improve your decision making. The quality of our thinking is proportional to the models in our head and their usefulness in the situation at hand. The more models you have—the bigger your toolbox—the more likely you are to have the right models to see reality.

There are currently 109 Mental Models on their website – I recommend you take a read through them and start committing them to memory.

They also have other excellent resources in the form of articles, a podcast and an email newsletter.

YourBias.Is - Cognitive Biases

This is a simple website with a graphical list of Cognitive Biases:

Cognitive biases make our judgments irrational. We have evolved to use shortcuts in our thinking, which are often useful, but a cognitive bias means there’s a kind of misfiring going on causing us to lose objectivity.

By learning about these biases that are present in everyone’s thinking, you can make better decisions, think more clearly, and get better at seeing reality for what it really is.

Logical Fallacies

From the creators of Cognitive Biases, this website works the same way for teaching you about Logical Fallacies.

A logical fallacy is a flaw in reasoning. Logical fallacies are like tricks or illusions of thought, and they’re often very sneakily used by politicians and the media to fool people. Don’t be fooled! This website has been designed to help you identify and call out dodgy logic wherever it may raise its ugly, incoherent head.

Improve your own reasoning, and help others to improve theirs, by learning about these logical fallacirs.